(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa Supreme Court has heard arguments in a case that will determine if Iowans may get voting materials in languages other than English.
Last year, a Polk County District Court judge ruled counties may offer voter registration forms in different languages. The state appealed, citing the 22 year old Iowa law that requires all government documents in the state to be in English. An attorney for the state says citizens who do not speak English can exercise their right to vote by calling the state court system's translation line or asking someone in the county auditor's office to talk them through the forms.
An attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa says federal election law requires states to offer language assistance to citizens who have limited English proficiency -- and translated voting materials are essential for non-English speakers.